Joseph Mallord William TURNER
English 1775-1851
Walton Bridges
1806-07
oil on canvas
91.2 x 122.5 cm
Felton Bequest 1920
981-3

The Thames was a favourite subject of Turner's.
He lived in Isleworth, just downstream from Walton Bridges, and several studies of the bridge appear in Turner's Thames sketchbook dating from
1805-7.

Walton Bridges is midway between Reading and Walton-on-Thames and it was a famous landmark even before the new double stone bridge, seen here, was erected. This is an idealised scene with emphasis placed on the vigour of the workers and the rich productivity of labour and the land. Turner has bathed the scene in a warm light, reminiscent of Dutch landscape of the ''golden age''.